Hopper gate



June 9, 1931. H. E. HALLENBECK 1,808,953

HOPPER GATE Filed April 16. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS J1me 1931- H. E. HALLENBECK 1,308,953

HOPPER GATE Filed A ril 1 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR sad,

ATTORNEYS June 9, 1931. l-i. EJHALLENBECK HOPPER GATE Filed April 16. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD E. HALLENBECK, OF HUDSON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GIFFORD-WOOD COM- I'ANY, OF HUDSON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATIONOF NEW YORK HOPPER GATE This invention relates to improvements in hopper gates which are particularly adapted for use in connection with traversing hoist buckets in material handling plants, and

'5 among other objects, aims to provide a gate held in closed position by a latch which is automatically released to permit the gate to open, when the bucket is lowered to filling position, the gate being closed by the bucket when hoisted.

This invention is an improvement on. a pending C. M. Root application, Serial No. 78,163, filed December 29, 1925, and assigned to the assignee of this application.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a bucket loading pit and hopper, and showing one embodiment of the invention in connection with a gate and hoist bucket;

Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the gate and bucket in different positions;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section of the lower portion of the gate, drawn on a larger scale; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the bin or hopper 10 has an outlet 11with a spout or chute 12 secured to the bin and extending downwardly and outwardly from the outlet 11 so that the contents of the hopper may be discharged by gravity.

The chute 12 extends into a pit 18 and a traversing hoist bucket 14 is adapted to be lowered into the pit in position to receive material from the hopper. Instead ofa pit, an above-ground pocket may be employed when the contour of theground permits. The bucket is guided into and out of the pit by means of rollers 15 arranged in two pairs, one on either side of the bucket,- the pairs of rollers being engageable with spaced ins clined tracks 16, so that the bucket is maintained in upright position as it is lowered and elevated within the pit. The bucket may be hoisted and lowered by means'of a cable 17 connected to any suitable hoisting mechanism (not shown) and passing around a sheave 18 mounted on a bail 19 pivoted on the bucket. suitable abutment is ar- 1929. SeriaLNo. 355,517.

ranged to close the bucket when it reaches fillingposition (Fig. 2), substantially as dis closed in Patent No. 1,741,123 dated December 24, 1929.

The hopper is adapted to be closed by a gate of the radial undercut type, an example being thegate of the aforesaid C. M. Root application, consisting of a pair of side frames 21 pivoted on opposite sides of the hopper, as at 22, and connected at their outer ends by a plate 28, which is curved coaxially with the pivots 22. The outer edges of the side walls of the chute 12 are correspondingly curved to conform to the surface of the plate 23, and the plate is of sufiicient length so that when it is raised (Fig. 1), the hopper outlet 11 is completely closed.

An extension chute 24 is rigidly secured to the upper ends of the frame 21 and its bottom wall is connected to the top of the plate 23 so that when the gate is lowered to the position shown in Fig. 2, the material from the hopper flows through the chute 12 and extension chute 24 into the bucket until the latter is filled. A pair of flapper arms 25 are pivoted to the bottom of the chute near its rear end and are connected by a cross rod 26, as best shown in the aforesaid C. M. Root application. )Vhen the gate is lowered (Fig. 2), the arms rest on the upper edge of the bucket and the gate is supported on the cross rod, so that when the bucket is raised, the arms are carried upwardly by the edge of the bucket, and the rod engaging the bottom of the chute raises the .latter and closes the gate.

It will be clear that the engagement of the pairs of rollers 15 with the double guides or tracks 16 prevents tipping of the bucket under the reaction of lifting the gate, and hence obviates spillage of the material in the pit.

According to the present invention, the

gate is arranged to be normally closed and locked in closed position and means are provided so that thegate will be'unlocked by the bucket and then will open by gravity as the bucket approaches filling position. To control the gravity opening of the gate, a rope 27 is attachedat one end to the upper end of the extension chute 2 4 and passes upwardly over a. sheave 28 and downwardly around a guide sheave 29 mounted on the wall of the pit below the hopper, the other end of the rope supporting a counterweight 30. The weight of the gate is greater than the effective weight of counterweight 30 so that when unlocked, the gate falls by gravity to open position, Fig. 2.

To hold the gate in closed position (Fig. 1), a pair of latches 31 are provided on chute 12. These latches are preferably slidably mounted in the parallel flanges of a channel member 32 (shown best in Fig. 3), having its connecting web secured transversely of chute 12 to the bottom wall 33 thereof and at the outer end. Each latch is normally urged outwardly by means of an expansile coiled spring 34: surrounding the latch and extending between the rear flange of the channel and a collar 35 secured to'the latch. The lower edge of the curved plate 23 is preferably reinforced by a metal'plate 36 extending to the lower marginal edge of'the plate 23 and nearly to the side edges. See Fig. 4. lVhen the gate is closed, the latches extend outwardly beneath the lower edges ofthe plates 23 and 36, both of which extend slightly below the bottom wall 33 of the chute. When the latches are moved rearwardly against the tension of the springs to clear the lower edges of the plates 23 and 36, the gate will fall by gravity to open position. In order to automatically operate the latches so that the gate will be open whenthe bucket is in filling position, a latch trip is provided for each latch and isarranged to be actuated by the bucket. Insome instances, only one latch will be used.

Herein, the latch trips are in the form of bell-crank levers 37 pivoted between angle brackets 38 on the lower end of the 'plate 23 andin vertical alinement with the bolts 31. Thelatch trips hang downwardly by gravity, and when the gate is closed, (Figs. 1 and 3) the heel portions 39 rest against the outer ends of the latches 31 whilethe toe portions 40 extend downwardly and outwardly into the path of travel of the upper adjacent edge of the bucket. As the bucket, on being lowered into the pit, nears its filling position, the upper side of the bucket nearest the gate strikes the toes 40 of the trips 37 swinging the-m downwardly and causing the heels 39 to move inwardly to force the latches 31 from beneath the gate to permit it to. open by gravity. In view of the fact that the bucket strikes'the latch trips before it reaches its lowermost position (Fig. 1), the chute is-practicallyin filling position in the upper open end of the bucket when the bucket comes to rest on the abutment 20. As the gate, on

being released, moves downwardly,the inner face of the front plate 23 slides over the outer ends of the bolts and holds them inwardly against spring tension. When thebucke't is raised, the gate is raised (by virtue of the arms 25 engaging the upper edge of the bucket) and when the lower edge of the gate clears the bolts, they are automatically projected beneath the plate 23 to hold the gate closed. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the rear portion of eachlever above the heel is undercut as at 41, so as to provide clearance for the rear portion of the heel when it swings toward plate 23 to release the latch.

In order to obtain a quick positive start of the gate downwardly when released, the sheave 28 is located so as to be approximately above the outerend of the extension chute 24; (Fig. 1) and the rope 27 is connected to the top of the extension chute approximately midway between its ends. By this arrangement, the rope extends fromv the sheave downwardly to the extension chute, toward the gate'pivot 22; and when the gate is released for a short distance it descends Without great .resistance from the weight .30. However, .as the gate falls, the moment arm between .the cable connection to the gate and the pivot lengthens, reaching its maximum just before the chute comes to rest on the bucket. Thus thegate is slowed up near the end of its fall by the increasingly elfective restraining pull on the weighted rope; and as the gate is only slightly .heavier than the weighty-the force ofthe impact between the chute and the bucket is reduced to a minimum. This saves wear and tear on the various parts, thus reducing the cost of maintenance and minimizing repairs. V

It will be'c-lear. that when "the bucket is lowered, 'the gate is automatically released to open by gravity, and when the bucket is hoisted, the gate is automatically closed and latched. Thus the gate is automatically controlled by the bucket and yet no part of the gate or the chute attached 'to it comes in contact with the bucket.

Obviously the present inventionianotrestricted to thezparticu-lar embodiment thereof herein shown and described. 1

What I claim 15:!- t

1. In combinatioma gatepi-voted on a support and adapted to close a hopper, when raised, and to open by-gravity; a hoist bucket adapted to be lowered into filling position beneath the' gate; latches slidably-mounted on the bottom of the hopper spri-ngs for proj'ecting the latches into position'to .hold'the gate closed; trip -levers;p-ivotally mounted on the gate and arrangedto releasethe latches; said levers being enga-geable by the bucket when the latter is 'loweredto release the latches to permit the. gate to open. I

2. In combination, 1 a hoist bucket; a a combined gate andchu'te pivoted on a support andadaptedto discharge-material into the bucket when :lowered and adapted to close the hopper whenraised; a weight connected tothe gate and chute-assembly tea-partially balance the same; said gate and chute being movable to filling position by gravity; slidable spring-pressed latches projecting beneath the gate to hold the latter in raised posit-ion; trip levers pivoted on the gate and each having two arms; one of the arms of each trip lever being engaged with one of the latches when the gate is closed and the other arm extending into the path of travel of the bucket and engageable by said bucket when lowered to release the-bolt to permit the gate to open.

3. In combination, a chute; a pivoted gate adapted to gravitate to open position when released; said chute having curved lower side edges, and the gate having a curved plate co-operating with said curved edges to stop flow of material down the chute; means for releasably holding the gate in closed position; said means comprising a channel member secured to the bottom of the chute; latches slidably mounted in the flanges of the channel and extending beneath the lower edge of the curved plate; an expansile coiled spring to hold the latch in extended position; and trip means on the gate for releasing the latches to permit the gate to open.

4. In combination, a chute having the lower end terminating in arcuate edges; a closure gate for the chute adapted to gravitate to open position when released; said gate comprising a pair of frames arranged at opposite sides of the chute and pivoted thereto; a curved plate secured between the outer ends of the frames and co-operating with the arouate edges of the chute to close the latter when the gate is raised; means for releasably holding the gate in closed position; said means comprising a latch; a hoist bucket adapted to be lowered into filling position beneath the gate; and a pivoted bell-crank lever associated with the latch and having a short arm engageable with the latch and having a longer arm arranged to be engaged by the bucket when the latter is lowered, whereby the gate is automatically opened.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

HAROLD E. HALLENBEGK. 

